Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
I think people forget how little basketball Siakam has actually played, as well. His growth arc has been incredible overall but most rookies have about as much experience playing organised basketball as Siakam does, given how much people play pre-NBA these days and how little Siakam did. Nobody should be surprised when he runs into an elite team filled with good wing defenders and gets smoked. He just doesn't have the toolkit yet, and he's being expected to do more than he is capable of.
He was perfect next to Kawhi because Kawhi commanded enough attention to open up his game, and Siakam is still extremely talented so when he's on, he can make it all happen. But he's not a top 10 or 20 player for a reason, despite being a good offensive player and very good defender, and this kind of thing is why.